Customer Reviews

The Medusa Stone (Bookcassette(r) Edition)

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Medusa Stone, by Jack DuBrul, is a fast-paced and exciting read. The plot involves a crashed super-surveillance satellite, and the reader is hooked quickly. The hero, the hard-boiled geologist Philip Mercer, returns from two previous novels along with a cast of humorous yet touching supporting characters and promptly gets himself and his pals into a slew of dangerous situations. The historical background on Eritrea was interesting to me, as I didn't know much about that part of the world. Fans of Clive Cussler and Stephen Coonts will find this one hard to put down!

The U.S. has launched the Medusa, a super sophisticated surveillance satellite as part of the Star Wars defense initiative. It is capable of uncovering subterrean features such as bunkers and missile silos much like xrays reveal bones. An accidental collision with some space junk causes the Medusa to plummet back to the Earth's surface. Spinning wildly out of control the satellite manages to take photographs of a remote desert area of Eritrea in northeast Africa. The top secret photos disclose what appears to be a massive underground diamond bearing kimberlite structure that rivals that of the famous South African kimbelite.

Years pass and the clandestine photos come into the possession of the unscrupulous Prescott Hyde, an Undersecretary of State. Hyde attempts to recruit geologist, mining engineer and hero Philip Mercer to cover the cache of diamonds. In concert with Hyde, Selome Nagast, a gorgeous Eritrean national with diplomatic connections implores Mercer to lend his expertise to uncover the treasure. When Mercer refuses to comply, his best friend the hard drinking octagenarian Harry White is kidnapped by an armed group of Middle Easterers. Mercer is forced to cooperate and make plans to unveil and mine the diamonds in the brutal, unforgiving and land mined Eritrean desert.

As the plot unfolds, we learn that two rival groups are racing to discover the whereabouts of the diamond mine. A cartel lead by wealthy Italian industrialist Giancarlo Gianelli has designs on flooding the market with this new source of diamonds. The other group a syndicate of rogue Mossad agents lead by Israeli Defense Minister Chaim Levine believe the mine to be the resting place of an object more dear than a hoard of diamonds. Both groups will use any means to procure their prize.

Mercer using his vast geologic knowledge and guile and with the aid of the Medusa photographs leads us on a rollicking tale of adventure. Du Brul really steps up his writing skills and produces a superb and fast paced yarn that makes me beg for more of the same. Being a rockhound further ameliorates my interest in the scientifically based subject matter.

After his adventures and romance in Alaska and Hawaii, mining engineer Dr. Philip Mercer is bored writing reports in DC. He mentions his lethargy to his eighty-year-old drinking buddy Harry White.

Undersecretary of State for African Affairs Prescott Hyde tries to hire Philip to locate a large diamond mine in the dangerous Northern Eritea. In spite of showing pictures taken from the Medusa satellite that crashed a decade ago, neither Prescott nor partner Selome Nagast convince Philip that a lode as large as that in South Africa has gone undetected.

Philip's mind is changed when a group of Mid-eastern terrorists abduct Harry, threatening to kill him if the mining engineer fails to find the mine in six weeks. Philip races to Africa to begin to search for a needle that might not exist in a haystack overrun by terrorists, outlaws, and deadly land mines. Philip quickly realizes that a second group is also interested in obtaining the diamond mine. Both groups share the goal that Philip must die.

With novels like CHARON'S LANDING, VULCAN'S FORGE, and now THE MEDUSA STONE, Jack DuBrul is proving he is one of the leaders of adventurous intrigue novels. The story line of his latest thriller continually ebbs and flows, but each new spurt builds the tension even further until the audience realizes that this is a one sitting novel in spite of its size. Philip is a fabulous lead character and the support cast brings to life Eritea and some questionable activities in the Mediterranean area. However, in hindsight what makes Mr. DuBrul's novel a strong candidate for adventure book of the year is the brilliant infusion of Eritea, its people and customs woven into a dramatic plot.

Harriet Klausner

My first 5 star review for Mr. Du Brul, and well deserved. I picked this up at the Orlando airport, disappointed that I couldn't find another book I had been looking for, but desperate to be able to spend my time on the plane reading SOMETHING, I grabbed 'The Medusa Stone' and began an incredible adventure that began thousands of years ago. I'd tell you WHAT they are looking for, but finding out is actually a very tantalizing adventure worthy of anything Clive Cussler has come up with or even Tom Clancy, for that matter. Mercer's drinking pal is abducted--but not by who you might think--and actually when you DO find out it sorta takes you by surprise--but that's by NO MEANS the ONLY surprise you run into inside the pages of this adventure masterpiece. Mercer is asked to help out a tiny little country in Africa in finding a diamond mine that could rival anything in South Africa, and in so doing help to bring Eretria out of the dark ages--literally. Phil is then linked up with a mysterious woman who may or may not be on his side, trust me it takes a while to figure that one out. All the while a mafia Don believes that the diamonds--should there actually BE any are HIS. Sound complex? It IS--but all in a GOOD way. Don't worry, Du Brul ties it all together in the end perfectly. I'm really anxious for the next Mercer novel--as much so as I normally look forward to the next Dirk Pitt novel. As much as I LOVE Cussler, Du Brul is fast becoming the NEW head of adventure in modern fiction. Give Du Brul a few pages of your time, and you'll be singing his praises, too--no matter if you can hold a tune or not.

Jack DuBrul's Medusa Stone will leave your bruised,battered and exhausted. The heart-pounding, fast-paced, non-stop action takes you to the far reaches of the globe and back again. Mercer is once again thrown into the middle of an ever twisting plot. But this time it's personal. An impossible task of finding the lost mine is just one of Mercer's worries. Throw in an international terriost group, a multi-millionaire Italian businessman, and a beautiful woman and you have the ingrediants for an action-packed adventure thriller. It will leave you wondering just how much can one man take before he decides to get even. Medusa Stone is the third book written by Jack DuBrul. His previous works are Vulcan's Forge and Charon's Landing. Move over Dirk Pitt. Phillip Mercer has arrived.

Philip Mercer is hired under mysterious circumstances to find his best friend, who has been kidnapped by Israeli terrorists. Once on the job, he travels to Africa, where he is forced to find a legendary diamond mine. Once there, even more danger awaits him and a secret with biblical background, deep in the mines. A secret which neither Philip nor anyone else thought was real. A secret searched throughout centuries with the power of God. Fast, full of action, great characters, and a mystery of religious proportions, this is an excellent adventure novel.

I orginally became familiar with Jack B. Du Brul's writing through his first novel, "Vulcan's Forge". It was a fast moving, globe-trotting epic that kept me in suspense right on up to the end. His second book, "Charon's Landing", simply didn't deliver the same punch for me as did his first. While it was well written, I almost decided not to bother with another "Phillip Mercer" installment. But I did... and boy, I'm glad I did.

"The Medusa Stone" is as well written as "Vulcan's Forge", has a very good plot, and moves like a good novel should. While this adventure does not take you to every corner of the globe the way "Vulcan's Forge" does, it is full of intricate little plot twists that kept me turning the pages. The characters that have survived from Du Brul's earlier novels have grown to the point that I can almost see their features and hear the inflections in their voices. Not many novelist have been able to bring me to that point.

For what it's worth, I would recommend this book. I would also recomend reading the first two books from this author (yes, even "Charon's Landing") before reading this one just to get the total historical perspective.

(As an afterthought - I hope Du Brul will see fit to write a "pre-squel" to give us a better picture of Mercer's involvement in the Iranian situation.)

After the excitement of the last few years Mercer finds thatthe humdrum of his work is getting too tedious. Without any warningto him and his drinking pal, Harry White, all of that is to change.

The vague pictures of a failed satellite from years before set in motion intrigue that goes from Washington, DC to Italy to Israel to Africa. Drawn into the fray, by the kidnapping of Harry, Mercer fights the elements and two factions that want to use him to solve the riddle of the Medusa pictures.

From the shoot out at the Washington airport to the final confrontation over the Red Sea Mercer is constantly under the gun, literally and figuratively. With the life of Harry in the balance Mercer must use all of his knowledge, expertise and hunches to find the mine.

This book was a great read from start to finish. Once you start you will not want to put it down.

Is there anyone out there besides me who thanks the good Lord above that they discovered Jack Du Brul? I read just about every type of fiction there is, and a little non-fiction as well, and I bounce from whatever interests me at the moment but I must admit I ALWAYS have time for Clive Cussler and Tom Clancy...well now I officially add Jack Du Brul to the short list. I crave action/adventure novels like a junkie longs for his next high, and after reading Cussler/ Clancy I get a hankering for a good adventure thriller, but most (if not all) fall short of what I like to call 'The Entertainment Factor'. I can't even remember HOW I stumbled upon Vulcan's Forge--it might have been something I read here on Amazon, anyway I went out and bought a used copy and BAM! I've been hooked ever since. Now due to the timing in which I started his books, I couldn't find a copy of 'Charon's Landing' until AFTER I finished 'The Medusa Stone' and, well I'm reading them a shade out of order, but I am STILL getting a 'high' that I haven't had in a long time. Phillip Mercer is like Dirk Pitt was when he was brand new to me. Totally fresh and completely entertaining. Don't get me wrong, Pitt will probably be my favorite adventure/hero but Mercer is working hard to come in second. The Medusa Stone is a totally facinating story and a totally engrossing one at that. The plot is more sophisticated than your average adventure thriller novel and the scenes of bravado are just realistic enough that you don't sit there going, 'C'mon, that was hard for even ME to swallow'. Du Brul's sense of characterization and plot twists should honestly earn him fans that will flock to his stories for years to come (am I the only one to notice that Du Brul looks VERY young?). I am hungrily lapping up 'Charon's Landing' as I write this and can hardly wait for the next Mercer novel. For sheer entertainment value, Mercer stands toe-to-toe with Pitt or ANY other 'adventure/thriller' out there today. IF you enjoy Cussler, Chrichton, Clancy or anything similar, do NOT pass up the chance to get to know Jack Du Brul. Cussler nailed it when he calls Du Brul '...one of the finetst adventure writers on the scene today...' (or something to that effect). Du Brul is AWESOME! And Phillip Mercer is a guy we ALL would like to call 'friend'. Do yourself a GIGANTIC favor and grab these books and thank me later (I KNOW yo will...). Fun, thrilling and above all, entertaining...what more is there in a novel? Enjoy.

To say this book is action packed is an understatement. DuBrul gets things moving and doesn't slow down. If there is a fault about this book, it's that some of the scenes are too over the top. DuBrul's work with Cussler obviously shows, but if you like action, adventure novels, give this book a try.